Tenino, Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tenino, Washington
City
Downtown Tenino, along Sussex Ave., 2011
Nickname(s):  The Stone City
Location of Tenino, Washington
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Thurston
Area
• Total	1.46 sq mi (3.77 km2)
• Land	1.46 sq mi (3.77 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	289 ft (88 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,870
• Estimate  (2021)	1,958
• Density	1,280.91/sq mi (494.66/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	98589
Area code	360
FIPS code	53-70630
GNIS feature ID	1512718

Tenino (/təˈnaɪnoʊ/) is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,870 at the 2020 census.

Incorporated in 1906, the city sits upon land first established as a food-source prairie for Native Americans living in the area. The town grew around an economy of stone quarrying, with local sandstone being used in several government and university buildings in the Pacific Northwest. With a decrease in demand for stone, the town converted one abandoned quarry into a community pool. Its downtown district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Tenino gained notoriety during the Great Depression for the use of wooden money as public currency for its residents, a practice briefly revived during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Research released in a 2019 book provided an answer regarding myths surrounding the name of Tenino; it was determined the name is borrowed from the moniker of a steamboat used during a railroad committee expedition.

History

Tenino was officially incorporated on July 24, 1906, though it existed as a rural community since the mid-19th century. Initially, American settlers were attracted to the open prairies created and maintained by local natives through controlled burns to cultivate camas root, a staple food source. Records indicate the initial settlers' community centered on the prairie approximately 1/2 mile south of the present town. Early residents named their first post office and school "Coal Bank", in the 1860s, a reference to a nearby coal outcropping. When the Northern Pacific Railway arrived in 1872 they adopted Tenino as the name of the new station. It also appears informally as "T-9-O," a shortened variation in use as early as 1873.

In the late 19th century a number of sandstone quarrying companies began shipping building stone, used in many regional buildings outside of Tenino, including the Old Capitol Building and the old Thurston County Courthouse in Olympia, the Mason County Courthouse in Shelton, Washington, the First Congregational Church, developed by Cameron Stone, in Tacoma, Washington, Denny Hall and the Theodore Jacobson Observatory at the University of Washington, Seattle, the Pittock Mansion and the Pioneer Courthouse in Portland, Oregon, the Calvary Presbyterian Church (San Francisco) and several US post office buildings, including at The Dalles, Oregon. The US Government also used stone from these quarries to construct jetties at Westport, Washington and elsewhere. The quarries declined in the early 20th century when many builders switched to concrete.

In addition to quarrying, logging, saw mills, and coal mining were also well established industries in the area. However, as the timber played out and railroads switched to diesel in the mid-20th century, these industries also declined.

Tenino wooden money, issued during the Great Depression.

Tenino briefly achieved national fame during the Great Depression. After the local bank closed, the town government temporarily issued wooden money scrip for use locally when cash was scarce. However, most of the wooden money was never redeemed as it became a collector's item.

In the years before the construction of Interstate 5 Tenino gained a reputation as a notorious stretch along U.S. Route 99. Many motorists considered it a speed trap due to the strict enforcement by police of the abruptly reduced speed limit through town.

While Tenino retains its historic downtown, now a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the town serves largely as a "bedroom community", many of its citizens commuting by car to larger cities such as Olympia and Tacoma for work.

Since the mid-1970s, the US Army has used a geographical map of Tenino as a training aid in map reading, due to the variety of symbols represented on the map.

The current mayor of Tenino, Washington is Wayne Fournier. Tenino's first mayor was John Henry Keithahn.

Name origin

Currently historians are unsure of the origin of the name "Tenino" for the town. The name came into use in the 1870s. It is reputedly a Chinook Indian word, meaning "fork in the trail", referring to the site where the Cowlitz Trail between The Columbia River and Puget Sound split, branching to Budd Inlet at Olympia, Washington and Commencement Bay respectively.

Occasionally some assert Tenino was named after either a train locomotive or a railroad survey stake with the numbers 10-9-0. However, avid local historian Art Dwelley, former editor of the Tenino Independent, found no such locomotive or survey marker designations but discovered references to the area as "the tenino" in newspapers predating the arrival of the railroad.

Adding to the mystery, Tenino was historically the collective name of the Warm Springs bands of North-Central Oregon. Also, the Oregon Steam Navigation Company operated a sternwheeler named Tenino on the Columbia River from 1860 to 1876. There are streets named "Tenino" in Portland, Oregon and Dallas, Texas, and two "Tenino Avenues", one in Los Angeles, California, and the other in Boulder, Colorado. What connection there is between these and the town, if any, is unknown.

Geography

Tenino is located at 46°51′24″N 122°51′01″W / 46.856745°N 122.850290°W / 46.856745; -122.850290 (46.856745, -122.850290).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.44 square miles (3.73 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,695 people, 691 households, and 440 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,177.1 inhabitants per square mile (454.5/km²). There were 740 housing units at an average density of 513.9 per square mile (198.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.7% White, 0.2% African American, 0.9% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 2.1% from other races, and 4.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.4% of the population.

There were 691 households, of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.3% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.01.

The median age in the city was 36.8 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.1% were from 25 to 44; 26.8% were from 45 to 64; and 13% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.7% male and 53.3% female.

Economy

One of Tenino's main economic outputs is agriculture, particularly livestock for consumption. After the loss of a meat processing plant within the region, the city and county began plans to develop a more encompassing business park to help the local economy. Given the moniker, Southwest Washington Agricultural Business & Innovation Park, construction began in 2023 with plans to contain a slaughterhouse, food processing, an event center, and buildings to house small businesses. Funding of $1.25 million from the state legislature was secured for future phases of construction with an additional $4.4 million proposed at the federal level.

Arts and culture

Festivals and events

Inspired by a mayoral proclamation in 1968 for Tenino to honor pioneer history and culture, the city began holding an annual weekend "Oregon Trail Days" festival. Demonstrations of logging, blacksmithing, railroad work, and pioneer home life often highlight the event. "Black powder shoots", historical exhibits, live music, cuisine, vintage car shows, and a parade round out the celebration. Several other organizations, such as the local farmer's market and rock-and-gem shows, will often hold events concurrently throughout the city.

The Tenino Farmers Market is held annually between early May and the end September. It is part of the Washington State Farmers Market Association and holds special market events for Mother's Day and Father's Day.

Historic buildings and sites

In 2020, Tenino created the "Tenino Creative Arts District" by certification thru the Washington state Arts Commission. The area, designated as including the historic downtown, business district, and the entirety of Tenino City Park, is projected to include public art of various mediums, including murals and metal banners and signs depicting Tenino's history. A scavenger hunt is to be based on the artworks. The banners, 23 in total, were added to light poles in the downtown district in October 2023.

De Beers heiress, Rebecca L. Oppenheimer, built a luxury home Merkaba near Tenino. In 2023, it was sold for $2.3M to former child actor, Scott Strader.

Theater

A non-profit theater group, known as the Tenino Young-at-Heart Theatre (TYT), was formed in 1990 and produces live performances at various locations throughout the city. The TYT purchased land, with help from an anonymous donor, near the high school in 2021 with plans to build a performing arts center.

Tourism

The city is home to the Tenino Sandstone Walking tour which honors the community's sandstone past. Local stone carver shops, and the sculptures they produce, are the main attraction of the tour. Tenino provides options for visitors to tour the city, or travel on the Yelm–Rainier–Tenino Trail, be means of the Yellow Bike project, a bicycle-sharing system started by the city in 2001.

Parks and recreation

The largest park in the community is Tenino City Park. Listed at 128 acres (52 ha), the park sits south of the center of town, with the Yelm–Rainier-Tenino Trail crossing through the area. The park contains the Tenino Stone Quarry community pool, the renovated Quarry House, and the Tenino Depot Museum, along with various ballfields and picnic areas. The grounds were expanded by 13 acres (5.3 ha) during a 2011 "Save Our Park" movement to save land and trails existing behind the park footprint from being logged.

A supplemental appropriation of over $500,000 was awarded to the city in 2022 for the rebuild of the Tenino City Park's playground after damage from a winter storm the prior year. The new play area, named Maytown Community Playground, was opened in 2023. An additional improvement that year to the park was the installation of three pump tracks of various difficulty levels. The tracks were built using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The grounds were expanded once again in 2024 with the addition of an adjacent 60-acre (24 ha) woodland parcel using funds donated from a conservancy foundation.

The South Sound Speedway, a Figure 8 racetrack, is immediately southwest of the downtown area.

Historic buildings and structures

There are 26 historic sites in or near Tenino. Following are some of those properties.

Name	Image	Address	Built in	NRHP?	Notes
Tenino Downtown Historic District		Two blocks long, one-half block-deep on either side of Sussex Street; approximately three acres in size.		June 25, 2004	Sussex Street is the main thoroughfare of the community and is also part of State Route 507.
Tenino Depot		Tenino City Park		December 27, 1974	The Tenino Depot, now a museum, was moved from its original site to the Tenino City Park near the Tenino Stone Company Quarry. At the time the Depot was moved, the area of relocation was examined to ensure that no archaeological remains significant to the operation of the quarry would be destroyed or altered.
Hercules Sandstone Company Office					Originally located near the Hercules Sandstone Company Quarry west of Tenino, In 1922, each stone of the building was numbered, moved separately, and reassembled at it current site at the corner of Sussex and Hodgen. It is currently Tenino's City Hall.
Tenino Stone Company Quarry		2712 Huston Street	1891	July 28, 1983	Located in the Tenino City Park, the quarry is now the Memorial Swimming Pool.
Ticknor School		3212 SE Skookumchuck Road now at 399 Park Avenue West	1934	May 10, 1990	Now located in the Tenino City Park, the school was moved from it original location in unincorporated Thurston County to the Tenino City Park next to the Tenino Depot in 2002.
Ticknor Barn		6710 Skookumchuck Road	1860
Colvin Farmstead (Colvin House)		16828 Old Highway 99	1877	June 23, 1988
Hercules#2/Eureka Quarry		4220 SE Old Military Road	1891
Taylor Farm		2400 SE 180th Avenue	1902
Morgan Davies Barn		S Skookumchuck Road of the junction with Johnson Creek	1910
Engstrom House/Weber House		3741 SW 143rd Ave	1910
Violet Prairie Grange		17104 SE Violet Prairie Road	1935
Ada's Resort		4005 SE 120th Avenue	1939
Linklater Ranch		13911 Military Road Southeast
Bronson Resort		4122 SE 119th Avenue	1915		Located on Offut Lake
Offut Lake Resort		4005 SE 120th Avenue	1939

Media

The independent movie, The Mountain, with Jeff Goldblum, was partially filmed in Tenino.

See also

In Spanish: Tenino (Washington) para niños